Website Credibility

How Do People Evaluate A Website Credibility?

1. Website Credibility through Visual Impact – 41.8%

The results about the connection between Design Look and perceived credibility suggests that creating Websites with quality information alone is not enough to win credibility in users’ minds. In most cases Website designers need also to focus on the impression that the visual web design will make, creating a site that achieves what many of our participants described as “a polished, professional look.” Some of the comments coded in this category are as follows:

This site is more credible. I find it to be much more professional looking. — M, 38, Washington

The design is sloppy and looks like some adolescent boys in a garage threw this together. — F, 48, CaliforniaMany comments were indicative of this attitude: “It looks like it’s designed by a marketing team, and not by people who want to get you the information that you need.”

In other words, the visual design may be the first test of a site’s credibility. If it fails on this criterion, Web users are likely to abandon the site and seek other sources of information and services.